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| Lunar transport vehicle, film 2001 |
Building a lunar colony is a favorite theme in science fiction. I would cite one of my favorite stories featuring such a colony: The Menace from Earth by Robert A. Heinlein (1957). A lunar colony also appears in the novel and film 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke.
Recently, with the return of humans to the Moon
(still in its early stages, as astronauts have only orbited the Moon), there
has been renewed discussion about the possibility of building a permanent lunar
facility. There is even talk of establishing a city, with a population of over
100,000.
A piece in Physics World—referencing another article published in Frontiers in Space Technologies—addresses this issue by examining the needs of a lunar colony and the potential cost of maintaining it.
